From Toni
—This has been a tough month for me healthwise—too many doctors' appointments and too many side-effects from medications, and so I'm grateful that February has only 28 days!
—I'm grateful for my mid-day nap. Last Saturday, it was only because I napped that I was able to visit in front of the house for two hours when old friends whom I hadn't seen for over five years came through town and stopped by to visit.
—I'm grateful that, so far, I seem to be able to dabble in watercolors after striking out at oils and acrylics. With watercolors, I can recline in my lounger and paint on paper that I've taped to a board on my lap. I can ruin a watercolor with one misplaced stroke of the brush, and so I throw away more pieces than I keep. This is helping me overcome my perfectionist streak and that's another reason I'm grateful for this particular medium.
From Mara
—I am grateful for my rice cooker. My daughter wanted to try and eat vegan for a week, so I joined in the experiment to support her. (If you know me, this is the ultimate test of my love for my daughter because I am very much a meat eater.) I am not a person who cooks very much so, for the most part, I spent the week eating rice and tofu. And I'm very grateful for the rice cooker that my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas because it was easy to create big, lovely, perfectly cooked batches of rice for us!
—I am very grateful for our sturdy old house. We have had more rain this year in California than in the last decade. A storm last weekend brought with it 5-7 inches of rainfall within a few hours. All over Facebook I saw posts from friends dealing with leaks and power outages. Our house is small and it's in need of some touch-ups. It only has one full bathroom (much to our daughter's frustration). But in the 13 years we've lived here, it has never leaked. So when it's storming outside, I feel safe and protected in our lovely home. Very grateful.
—I am grateful for our crazy cat. We adopted a cat last year. He's a ginger cat and my husband named him Demetrius. He's quite a character. Both of the doors to our backyard have glass panels, and he has figured out that if he throws himself with lots of drama up against them that gets our attention and we'll let him in. But about 50% of the time, once we've gotten up from wherever we were sitting and walked across the room to the door to let him in, he decides he doesn't want to come in anymore. When we open the door, he either runs away or he stands and looks at us as if we've interrupted him. This drives me crazy.
But he's a constant reminder that I am not in charge of the universe. Demetrius is his own little being. He's not a stuffed animal. He doesn't live for just my pleasure. And he reminds me that I can get mad that I can't control him, or I can just let it go and wait for him to throw himself up against the door again so I can get up and let him in again. And he'll come in if he wants.
From Mara
—I am grateful for my rice cooker. My daughter wanted to try and eat vegan for a week, so I joined in the experiment to support her. (If you know me, this is the ultimate test of my love for my daughter because I am very much a meat eater.) I am not a person who cooks very much so, for the most part, I spent the week eating rice and tofu. And I'm very grateful for the rice cooker that my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas because it was easy to create big, lovely, perfectly cooked batches of rice for us!
—I am very grateful for our sturdy old house. We have had more rain this year in California than in the last decade. A storm last weekend brought with it 5-7 inches of rainfall within a few hours. All over Facebook I saw posts from friends dealing with leaks and power outages. Our house is small and it's in need of some touch-ups. It only has one full bathroom (much to our daughter's frustration). But in the 13 years we've lived here, it has never leaked. So when it's storming outside, I feel safe and protected in our lovely home. Very grateful.
—I am grateful for our crazy cat. We adopted a cat last year. He's a ginger cat and my husband named him Demetrius. He's quite a character. Both of the doors to our backyard have glass panels, and he has figured out that if he throws himself with lots of drama up against them that gets our attention and we'll let him in. But about 50% of the time, once we've gotten up from wherever we were sitting and walked across the room to the door to let him in, he decides he doesn't want to come in anymore. When we open the door, he either runs away or he stands and looks at us as if we've interrupted him. This drives me crazy.
But he's a constant reminder that I am not in charge of the universe. Demetrius is his own little being. He's not a stuffed animal. He doesn't live for just my pleasure. And he reminds me that I can get mad that I can't control him, or I can just let it go and wait for him to throw himself up against the door again so I can get up and let him in again. And he'll come in if he wants.
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| One of Toni's watercolors |
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